Deck Structure & Card Zones
V2 status: Approved fundamentals. Drawing and hand cycling are still under review. See the linked Fatigue & Recycling and Card Commitment & Burning pages.
Player Skill deck
Section titled “Player Skill deck”Each player has a deck of exactly 30 cards, consisting only of Skill cards.
Players choose any mix of Generic Skill and Class Skill cards within those 30 cards. There is no mandatory Generic/Class split.
A player’s normal maximum hand size is 5 Skill cards (future Level cards may change it). At the start of each Round, all players and the GM retain the cards already in Hand and draw only enough to reach their respective maxima. Card use normally occurs only during the player’s own activation, unless specified otherwise on the card; see Activations & Card Timing. See Hand Size & Round Refills and Rounds & Activations for the draw and activation procedures.
Skill card zones
Section titled “Skill card zones”| Zone | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Deck | Face-down pile of Skill cards waiting to be drawn. |
| Hand | Skill cards currently available to the player. |
| Discard | Used Skill cards available for future recycling into the Deck. |
| Exhaust | Skill cards excluded from normal recycling until a rule explicitly allows them to return. |
| Active display (table) | Cards whose Burn modifiers or other ongoing effects are currently relevant. They are not yet in Discard or Exhaust. |
Discard and Exhaust are different game states, even when represented by a single physical pile. An active display is a temporary on-table location for tracking effects, not a permanent card pile. Cards with active Burn adjustments sit face up in front of the player; they move to Discard or, if explicitly required, Exhaust when their effect ends. They cannot be recycled while they remain on the table. Details of recycling are defined in Fatigue & Recycling.
A card used through Play, Burn or Discard normally goes to Discard once its effects have finished, unless a rule specifies Exhaust or another destination. Burned cards remain face up on the table while their Attribute modifiers are active. Players may also freely Discard cards during their activation to clear Hand space, without Skill or Burn effects and without immediately drawing replacements. Whether additional temporary states or attachments are required is still open.
Cards that do not enter the Skill deck
Section titled “Cards that do not enter the Skill deck”Equipment, gear and item cards remain outside the 30-card Skill deck. An Equipment card is either:
- Equipped: placed in one of a character’s six defined Equipment spaces; or
- Carried: set beside their character, subject to a default limit of six Carried cards.
A character therefore normally has room for 12 Equipment/gear/item cards in total. See Equipped & Carried Gear for the upcoming review of the six slots and possible exceptions.
Level cards are also kept outside the Skill deck:
- When a Level card only records XP awarded, it is stored beneath the Player card.
- When it adds passive buffs or advanced Class mechanics, it is displayed near the Class mechanic card so its abilities remain visible.
See Level Cards & Advancement.
Pending decisions
Section titled “Pending decisions”- Whether there are Skill-copy limits or other deck-building restrictions beyond exactly 30 Skill cards.
- When players may change their deck composition.
- Opening hand timing, freeform Draw steps, and the specifics of any Level-card hand-size exceptions; see Hand Size & Turn Refills.
- Whether special effects can temporarily Attach Skill cards or move them to other zones.
These unresolved points do not change the approved deck composition and zone distinctions above.